


Water Tower

by timeforgotten



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 21:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21063095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeforgotten/pseuds/timeforgotten
Summary: Because of Will, Merlin ends up in the back of a cop car.





	Water Tower

How did he end up here; sitting in the back seat of a cop car with his best friend about to be dropped off like delinquent teenagers. There was alcohol involved somehow, he would have never agreed to this sober. But hey, no good story started with I was eating a salad….

*****

It started as a normal Friday night.

He was sitting in the bar with his best friend, Will.

They have known each other since before they were born as their mothers used to joke, being that Will was only three weeks and two days older. And of course, any trouble he ever got into was because of Will.

Sitting in the bar shooting bull, Will comes up with this so-called brilliant plan.

“Let’s climb the water tower.”

“Why would I want I want to climb the water tower, Will?” Merlin asks, not looking up from peeling the label on his bottle.

“Just to say we’ve done it of course!” Will replies, with his shit-eating grin.

And because Will’s drunken logic makes perfect since they finish the drinks they had and make their way to the water tower in Old Man Wilson’s field.

The ladder they realize is, in fact, not on the ground but ten feet in the air, but as they say liquid courage. How they managed to get to the ladder is a mystery, but they made it, now to climb the remaining 120 feet.

Once at the top they sit on the platform with their legs over the ledge. The view really is something.

Will is digging around in the ever-present bag and pulls out a can of reflective orange spray paint.

“What are you going to do write Freya’s name like some love-struck teen? We are adults you know, educated ones even.”

“Come on Merlin live a little. It’s not like you don’t want to write Ar…”

“Can it Will!”

“Why don’t you just ask him out?” Will asks as he starts shaking the can of paint.

“Why don’t you ask Freya out?” Merlin retorts.

Will digs around in his bag some more and pulls out a second can of spray paint (red this time) and waves it in front of his face, and because he really is a love-struck <strike>teen</strike> adult…

“Fine, give it here.”

As Will sprays, rather sloppily, Will & Freya inside a heart, Merlin takes the more discreet way and just sprays initials.

_There has to be more than one ME and AP in this town…right?_

That’s when they see the flashing blue lights.

There is no way they could get away they are 130 feet in the air so unless one of the magically sprouts wings they are about to be arrested.

“Are you going to climb down and make this easy or do you want us to come up there” a voice too distorted to recognize through the megaphone shouts up at them.

They make their way down the ladder. Merlin is first to hit the ground, and because fate is stacked against him the officer at the bottom of the water tower is none other than his neighbor Leon McKnight because yes, it’s a small town and everyone knows everyone.

“Merlin? Really? I was expecting some teenagers not you and…Will. Should have known.” Looking at Will “come on, you know the drill.” Leon says as he is reaching for his cuffs.

*****

Getting into the back seat of the cop car, handcuffed, was not as easy as one would think. Once inside he noticed, for the first time, another officer sitting in the front seat, Will noticed at the same time because he asks…

“And who are you?”

“Don’t recognize me, William?” The second cop answers.

Arthur, of course, it would be Arthur. The same Arthur who he has had a crush on since freshman year, the same Arthur whose initials he just spray-painted on the side of the water tower.

“So, Freya?” Arthur asks.

“What of it?”

“I could be a decent person and tell you that if you asked her out, she would say yes,” Arthur replies smugly.

That shut Will up. Arthur on the other hand…

“So, Merlin who’s the lucky girl?... First names starting with an A, assuming its someone our age let’s see…there’s Ashley, Abby, Alice…”

_He really should tell him it’s not a girl._

“Amanda, Amber, Ada, none of them. Hmm…ok then…Adam, Andrew, Aaron, Arthur…”

And Will would not be Will if he didn’t force a cough.

“Arthur then…”

_He catches Arthur’s eyes in the mirror. He knows, he has too, there’s no way he cannot know. There was only one Arthur in the entire high school. How many people could have the initials AP? There has only ever been one Arthur. The one that is sitting directly in front of him looking at him in the review mirror, he’s not sure what he sees in the other man’s blue eyes. He knows what is showing in his though hope, regret, and fear just to name a few._

Thankfully (never thought he would be happy to pull into a police station) they arrive just then so he doesn’t have to reply. Leon instead turns and says…

“I don’t want to deal with all the paperwork your little adventure will create and I’m sure you two don’t want to sit in a cell overnight. So, this is what I am going to do, I am going to get out of this car and go home. Our shift is over anyway. And Arthur here is going to make sure you guys get home safely.”

And with that, he was out of the car. Arthur sputters for a second until he is chasing after Leon. 

“Did you seriously have to give it away!? You’re the worst.” Merlin whisper yells, checking to see is Arthur or Leon heard. Thankfully they were far enough away.

“Nah, you love me.”

If they weren’t in handcuffs, he would have strangled his best friend.

Arthur gets back in the car then, this time behind the wheel. The only thing he says is…

“Still at your mom's Will?”

Will just nods. Great an awkward car ride.

*****

Arthur drops Will off first. He walks him to the door before he took the handcuffs off. Back in the car again Arthur keeps looking into the mirror, he knows he’s been caught staring…not sure how many times but he’s been caught.

Once they got to Merlin’s street Arthur pulled over and shut the car off. He got out of the car and made his way to Merlin’s door.

“You’re not going to make me walk all the way home, are you?” He asked once Arthur took the cuffs off.

“Well, not alone,” Arthur replied

They stayed silent for at least half a mile Merlin was the one to break the silence.

“In case you were wondering…they are your initials.” The last part hardly audible.

“I had already guessed that.” A grin, slight as can be, crosses his lips.

Merlin pulls a face of half worry half dread.

“No don’t look at me like that. It's ok.”

They fall back into silence, but Merlin can tell there is something on Arthur's mind. Just about the time was gearing up to ask… “Just how long have you had this…this crush or whatever? We haven’t seen each other in over 4 years.” Arthur fumbles.

“Ummm…Freshmen year…” Merlin replies staring at the ground.

At that Arthur stops walking completely.

“What?!” Why did you never say anything?!”

“Yea.” Merlin turned to look at Arthur, raising his voice slightly, “what was I supposed to do, me the gay nerdy country bumkin who doesn’t fit in has a crush on the most popular kid in school, not only is he gorgeous, he’s got a good heart under his hard exterior, and he has a crooked smile. That smile was the first thing that caught my eye.”

Merlin takes a breath and really looks at Arthur, “that smile, that smile right there.”

Arthur does the only thing he could think of doing right then and takes the last two steps between the two and kisses Merlin. It’s not anything demanding, and it’s not testing the limits, it's perfect. His lips are somewhat chapped from walking almost a full mile against the wind, but Merlin is sure his are too. A hand slowly makes its way up Merlin’s spine which sends shivers down his back to rest on the back of his head.

Once they break apart, they both have dopey smiles on their faces Arthur's hand is still on the back of his neck, so Merlin leans his forehead on Arthurs.

“Not that I’m complaining, but wha…”

“I may have had a stupid high school crush on this gay nerdy county bumkin since I met him in our history class when he decided to tell our teacher, Mr. Wilson, off because he said…”

“That Merlin wasn’t a name to have if I wanted to go anywhere with my life, that no one would take me seriously. That was Sophomore year! Why didn’t you say anything, and you can’t use the excuse ‘I didn’t know if you were gay’ everyone knew that.”

“But I can use the one, _I didn’t know I was’_” Arthur says sheepishly.

“Still could have said something.”

And with that Merlin kissed, this one full of promises of making up for time lost.

*****

Once Merlin got home, he pulled out his phone to text Will…

To: Will

Not all of your ideas are bad.

And left it at that. He tossed his phone to the other end of the bed and tugs up the covers and thinks back over the events of the night. Something he will be doing until it sinks in that yes, his high school crush likes him back and yes, they made plans to go on an actual date.

His phone goes off, he feels around until he finds it, it’s Will.

From: Will

What?!?

To: Will

Goodnight Will ;)


End file.
